2012–13 Manchester United F.C. season
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The 2012–13 season was
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
's 21st season in the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
, and their 38th consecutive season in the top flight of English football. United's season began on 20 August 2012 with the first game of the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
campaign. After narrowly missing out on goal difference the previous season, they won an unprecedented 20th English top-flight title on 22 April 2013 with a win over
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
, in which top scorer
Robin van Persie Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Van Persie was known for his excellent technique and ball co ...
scored a hat-trick, finishing the season with 26 league goals and 30 goals in all competitions. United competed in two domestic cups, the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
and the League Cup, where they entered both tournaments in the Third Round courtesy of their league position. Chelsea proved to be United's nemesis in both competitions, first beating them 5–4 in the Fourth Round of the League Cup on 31 October 2012, followed by a 1–0 win in the FA Cup Sixth Round Replay on 1 April 2013. In
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, United were knocked out of the Champions League at the Round of 16 stage after losing 3–2 on aggregate to
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
. On 8 May 2013, United's long time manager,
Sir Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...
announced that he would retire from his position as manager of Manchester United after years in charge, making him the longest-serving manager of any English club by this stage. He had won 38 trophies during that time – more than any other manager in the history of football – and at 71 was the oldest serving manager currently in the Premier League or
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
. The next day, Manchester United announced that
David Moyes David William Moyes ( ; born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of Premier League club West Ham United. He was previously the manager of Preston North End, Everton, Manches ...
of Everton would take over from Ferguson at the beginning of the 2013–14 season.


Pre-season and friendlies

Manchester United preceded their 2012–13 campaign with a global tour, including trips to South Africa for the first time since 2008, China for the first time since 2009 and
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
for the first time since 2002. The tour began with matches against South African teams
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on 18 July 2012 and Ajax Cape Town on 21 July 2012. They then travelled to China to play Shanghai Shenhua on 25 July 2012 at the
Shanghai Stadium The Shanghai Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Shanghai. Between 2009 and 2019, the stadium hosted home matches of the Chinese Super League team Shanghai SIPG. History The stadium opened on 14 March 1999 when the eighth National Games o ...
, before moving on to Norway to play
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at the Ullevaal Stadion in
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
on 5 August, and Sweden to play Spanish side
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at
Ullevi Ullevi, sometimes known as Nya Ullevi (, ''New Ullevi''), is a multi-purpose stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then has also hosted the World Allround Speed Skating Championships six times; the ...
,
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, on 8 August 2012. The final game of the pre-season tour was against
Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...
(whom they had not played since 1965) at the
AWD-Arena Niedersachsenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, which is home to football club Hannover 96. The original 86,000-capacity stadium was completed in 1954 and has since been rebuilt several times for various ...
on 11 August 2012.


Premier League

The fixtures for the 2012–13 league season were announced on 18 June at 09:00 BST. United's first game was away from home at
Goodison Park Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area 2 miles (3 km) north of Liverpool ...
to Everton on 20 August 2012, a game that they lost to a goal by
Marouane Fellaini Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui (born 22 November 1987) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chinese club Shandong Taishan. Born in Etterbeek to Moroccan parents, Fellaini played youth football for Anderlecht, R.A.E.C. ...
in the 57th minute. It was United's first Premier League opening game defeat since 2004. United then returned to Old Trafford where they played against
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
. The game started with Fulham taking the lead in third minute through a
Damien Duff Damien Anthony Duff (born 2 March 1979) is an Irish professional football manager and former player who played predominantly as a winger. He has been the manager of League of Ireland club Shelbourne F.C. since November 2021. He began his prof ...
goal, a goal which marked Fulham's first goal at Old Trafford since 2006. United levelled the game seven minutes later through a spectacular volley from
Robin van Persie Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Van Persie was known for his excellent technique and ball co ...
who scored his first goal for United after joining the team a week before. United then took the lead in the 35th minute through Shinji Kagawa who, like Van Persie, scored his first United goal.
Rafael Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * ''R ...
made the scoreline 3–1 just five minutes before half-time. In the second-half Fulham managed to reduce United's lead after an own goal by United defender
Nemanja Vidić Nemanja Vidić ( sr-Cyrl, Немања Видић, ; born 21 October 1981) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is best known for his time at Manchester United, was part of the Serbia national team, and is ...
, who collided with goalkeeper David de Gea and back-heeled the ball into the net. United's next game was against Southampton, and Southampton took shock 1–0 and 2–1 goal leads through Rickie Lambert and
Morgan Schneiderlin Morgan Fernand Gérard Schneiderlin (; born 8 November 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Western Sydney Wanderers in the A-League on loan from Nice. Schneiderlin began his career with Strasbourg, ...
before a Van Persie hat-trick saved United at the death after he earlier missed a penalty. In the next game, United thrashed Wigan 4–0 with summer signings Alexander Büttner and Nick Powell scoring their first goals. Hernández and Scholes also got on the scoresheet. United's next game was against archrivals Liverpool. Liverpool took the lead but United fought back with goals from Rafael and a penalty from Van Persie and won the game 2–1. United then suffered a 3–2 loss at the hands of Tottenham. Tottenham took a 2–0 lead. At half-time,
Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while als ...
made his return and contributed with an assist, but Tottenham held on take victory. The next match saw Manchester United win 3–0 against Newcastle United at St James' Park. Goals from Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra, both headed from corners gave United a 2–0 lead before Tom Cleverley scored a curling screamer from 25 yards. The next match saw United win 4–2 against Stoke City, Wayne Rooney scored an own goal in the 11th minute before equalising in the 28th minute. Van Persie gave United the lead just before the break, and Danny Welbeck's diving header gave United a two-goal advantage before
Michael Kightly Michael John Kightly (born 24 January 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. Kightly was rejected as a schoolboy by Tottenham Hotspur but worked his way back to League football with Southend United. He again ...
cut the margin in the 58th minute. Seven minutes later, Wayne Rooney scored to restore Man Utd's two-goal lead and win the game 4–2. United then played title rivals Chelsea at
Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...
, a stadium where they had not won in the past 10 years. In the first 12 minutes United struck twice. The first was a
David Luiz David Luiz Moreira Marinho (born 22 April 1987) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Flamengo. Primarily a centre back, he can also be deployed as a defensive midfielder. After starting out at Vitoria, David Luiz moved to Ben ...
own goal after Robin van Persie's shot hit the post and bounced off the Brazilian, and then the Dutchman himself scored the second.
Juan Mata Juan Manuel Mata García (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray. He mostly plays as a central attacking midfielder, but he can also play on the wing. A grad ...
scored for Chelsea just before half time, and Ramires equalised for the hosts ten minutes after the break.
Branislav Ivanović Branislav Ivanović ( sr-Cyrl, Бранислав Ивановић, ; born 22 February 1984) is a Serbian former professional footballer. A versatile defender, Ivanović played as a right back, although he can also play as a centre back. Ivanovi ...
was shown the red card for a foul near the area, and nine minutes later Fernando Torres received a second yellow for diving. Substitute Hernández scored the goal that saw the visitors emerge victorious. The next game was at Old Trafford against rivals
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, in which Van Persie scored against his former club within three minutes of the start. Wayne Rooney missed a penalty just before half time, but Patrice Evra doubled United's lead after heading Rooney's cross into the net. Arsenal pulled a goal back in the final minute via Santi Cazorla. An away visit to
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
turned out to be a thrilling game which saw United fall two goals behind from Andreas Weimann before substitute Hernández scored twice and assisted an own goal that gave United the victory. United suffered their third defeat of the season away to Norwich City, falling to a single goal from former Manchester United youth
Anthony Pilkington Anthony Neil James Pilkington (born 6 June 1988) is an Irish people, Irish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger. After playing non-league football briefly, he began his prof ...
. United then entertained Queens Park Rangers and fell behind after 52 minutes. However, they responded strongly with Jonny Evans and Darren Fletcher both netting from Wayne Rooney corners. Hernández scored the third goal to make the points safe. United then had visiting West Ham United as their next rivals. United won the match 1–0 thanks to an early Van Persie goal after just 31 seconds that deflected over Jussi Jääskeläinen. United established a three-point lead over their closest rivals
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
after edging a seven-goal thriller against
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
at Madejski Stadium.
Hal Robson-Kanu Thomas Henry Alex "Hal" Robson-Kanu (born 21 May 1989) is a Welsh inactive professional footballer who last played as a forward for West Bromwich Albion and the Wales national team. Although he initially played primarily on the wing, he was use ...
lashed home the opener, then Anderson cracked in an equaliser and Wayne Rooney slid home a penalty before
Adam Le Fondre Glenville Adam James Le Fondre (born 2 December 1986), known as Adam Le Fondre, is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Sydney FC in the A-League. He previously played for his hometown club Stockport County as well a ...
and Sean Morrison quickly headed in from corners to have the hosts 3–2 up by 23 minutes. Despite the defensive lapses, Manchester United fought back through an irresistible attacking display, and Rooney clinically turned in Patrice Evra's cross to level again, before turning provider for Robin van Persie to spring the hosts' offside trap and beat
Adam Federici Adam Jay Federici (born 31 January 1985) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Federici began his senior career at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2003, but was only there briefly and soon switched to Torres. Af ...
to make it 3–4 in 34 minutes. United held on to the lead in a nervous second half to win the match. United then played city rivals and closest contenders Manchester City at the
Etihad Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the 6th-largest ...
. Wayne Rooney scored two goals in the first half hour to give United a two-goal cushion. But the match looked to have turned completely with half an hour left as Ashley Young had a goal wrongly ruled out for offside before
Yaya Touré Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (born 13 May 1983) is an Ivorian professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is an academy coach for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. Touré aspired to be a striker during his yout ...
netted within seconds. It allowed the Blues to stage a comeback that led to Pablo Zabaleta levelling from a corner on 86 minutes. Incredibly, Van Persie, with a deflected free kick, had the final say in stoppage time to end City's unbeaten run at home that lasted almost two years and inflict their first league defeat since April 2012. In winning the match, United stretched the advantage at the summit to six points. In their next match, United faced
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
at Old Trafford and goals from Robin van Persie and Tom Cleverley gave United a two-goal lead at half-time before Wayne Rooney gave United a three-goal advantage in the second half.
Fraizer Campbell Fraizer Lee Campbell (born 13 September 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker, most recently for Huddersfield Town. He has also played for Manchester United, Royal Antwerp, Hull City, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, ...
scored the only goal for the visitors, heading in
Stéphane Sessègnon Stéphane Sessègnon (born 1 June 1984) is a Beninese professional footballer who plays for Sirens F.C. in the Maltese Premier League. He is a Benin international, having represented the nation at the 2008, 2010 and 2019 editions of the Af ...
's cross. United held on to win the game 3–1. United then played
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
at the
Liberty Stadium The Swansea.com Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Swansea.com; formerly Liberty Stadium) is an all-seated sports stadium and conferencing venue located in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium opened in 2005 and was named the Liberty Stadium. It ...
. Patrice Evra headed the Reds in front before Swansea striker
Michu Miguel Pérez Cuesta (born 21 March 1986), known as Michu (), is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker or attacking midfielder. He started playing for Real Oviedo, subsequently representing Celta and Rayo Vallecano, ...
netted his 13th goal of the season in a see-sawing first half. The game ended at 1–1 – United's first draw of the season – but it was enough to ensure a lead of four points at the top of the table on Christmas Day. Manchester United played
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
at Old Trafford on Boxing Day in what turned out to be a classic. United conceded first when James Perch scored for Newcastle in the fourth minute. Jonny Evans then scored for both teams in quick succession, first equalising for United before putting through his own net to restore Newcastle's lead; the goal was originally ruled out for offside against
Papiss Cissé Papiss Demba Cissé (; born 3 June 1985) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 2 club Amiens. He formerly played for the Senegal national football team. Formerly of SC Freiburg, he once held the record of most ...
, who was lurking behind Evans, but referee Mike Dean allowed it to stand, having deemed that Cissé was not interfering with play. Patrice Evra scored close to the hour mark to make the scores level with a 25-yard strike to mark his best season in terms of goals. Papiss Cissé then scored with a sublime finish to make it 3–2 on 68 minutes, only for Robin van Persie to get United's third equaliser three minutes later. Then United did what they do best with Javier Hernández dramatically scoring a winner with just seconds of the 90 minutes left to win the game 4–3. With Manchester City losing away at Sunderland, United extended their lead at the top to seven points. United then played
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
at Old Trafford, making five changes to the side that played on Boxing Day with Shinji Kagawa returning to the side behind Danny Welbeck. Ashley Young's drilled cross was deflected off
Gareth McAuley Gareth Gerald McAuley ( ; born 5 December 1979) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He represented Northern Ireland at senior international level, being capped on 80 occasions and scoring nine times ...
into his own net in the ninth minute for United's opener. Later in injury time, substitute Robin van Persie scored a wonderful curling shot assisted by Antonio Valencia to make it 2–0. United then played
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...
at the DW Stadium, making three changes to the side that beat West Brom. Javier Hernández latched onto a rebound from Patrice Evra's shot and Robin van Persie rounded
Iván Ramis Iván Andrés Ramis Barrios (born 25 October 1984) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a central defender. He spent most of his professional career with Mallorca since making his debut in 2004, appearing in 189 competitive matches over ...
and converted before half time. In the second half, Hernández smashed a volley after a blocked Van Persie free kick. Van Persie himself scored the fourth goal after receiving a short-driving cross from Danny Welbeck from the left hand side of the post to make it 4–0. The game was their fifth clean sheet in the league so far this season. United's next game was against arch-rivals Liverpool. Van Persie made it 1–0 and Evra's header which touched Vidić's head made it 2–0. Liverpool pulled one back but it was not enough. United then drew against Tottenham, Van Persie again opened the scoring with a header but Tottenham equalised in the dying moments of the game through
Clint Dempsey Clinton Drew Dempsey (; born March 9, 1983) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward and midfielder. During his career, he played in the Premier League for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur and in Major League Soccer ...
. In the next game, United played Southampton at home. After going 1–0 down within three minutes, United once again pulled it back with two goals from Wayne Rooney in the first half to win 2–1. After their midweek home win, United then travelled to London to play Fulham where the deadlock was finally broken by a goal from Rooney in the 79th minute. United held on for the 1–0 win to go nine points clear at the top of the table. United then capitalised on the defeat of their nearest neighbours and closest rivals at Southampton the day before by beating Everton 2–0 at Old Trafford to extend their lead at the top of the table to twelve points with goals from
Ryan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; 29 November 1973) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Giggs played his List of one-club men in association football, entir ...
early in the first half and Van Persie just before half time and avenging the 1–0 defeat they suffered in their first match of the season. After that Manchester United travelled to Loftus Road and had it easy with a 2–0 win over QPR where Rafael scored a 30-yard screamer and Giggs scored a clinical finish on his 999th appearance. This meant that Manchester United have opened up a 15-point lead, though this was reduced to 12 after Manchester City won 2–0 over Chelsea. Next, Manchester United hosted Norwich City at the "Theatre of Dreams" and again opened up a 15-point lead with a 4–0 win. Kagawa scored a hat-trick, becoming the first Asian player to do so in the Premier League. On 16 March, Manchester United took advantage of their neighbours and closest title rivals Manchester City's loss to Everton earlier in the day by beating Reading. The game finished 1–0 from a deflected goal by Wayne Rooney after a surging run from
Rio Ferdinand Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, and is now a television pundit for BT Sport. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and was ...
. This extended Manchester United's lead to 15 points with nine games to play. After the international break, United faced a trip to the
Stadium of Light The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. ...
to play Sunderland on 30 March. Again United won 1–0 thanks to a
Titus Bramble Titus Malachi Bramble (born 31 July 1981) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre back. Bramble played in the Premier League over thirteen consecutiv ...
own goal after Van Persie's shot had deflected off him. By winning, United set a new record by winning 25 of their opening 30 games. On 8 April, Manchester United returned to Old Trafford to play their second Manchester derby, where United were handed their first loss in 18 games after City won 2–1. James Milner scored the first for City with a deflected drive, but United equalised after Phil Jones headed a Van Persie free-kick against
Vincent Kompany Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany (; ; born 10 April 1986) is a Belgian professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back and is the current manager of EFL Championship club Burnley. He most notably played for Manchester City f ...
. Sergio Agüero, however, scored at the near post after a mazy run. United bounced back from derby disappointment by beating Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. Michael Carrick scored a toe poke from a corner in the second minute and a late Van Persie penalty secured the points for United. Van Persie also ended his barren run of nine games without a goal. Manchester United had to play a midweek fixture away to West Ham. This was a tough game that saw the hosts go ahead twice through
Ricardo Vaz Tê Ricardo Jorge Vaz Tê (born 1 October 1986) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward. Vaz Tê has previously played for English clubs Bolton Wanderers, Hull City, Barnsley and West Ham United, Greek club Panionios, Scottish ...
and
Mohamed Diamé Mohamed Diamé (born 14 June 1987), also known as Momo Diamé, is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Though born in France, Diamé represented Senegal at international level and made 31 appearances before retiring from nationa ...
. But United equalised twice through Antonio Valencia, who netted his first goal of the season, and Robin van Persie. The game ended 2–2. On 22 April, Manchester United beat Aston Villa 3–0 to win their 13th Premier League title and 20th English championship after Manchester City had lost to Tottenham the day before. In the second minute, Robin van Persie scored after a lay-off from Ryan Giggs to make the score 1–0. Van Persie scored again in the 13th minute with a volley from a through ball over the top by Wayne Rooney.
Sir Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...
and many others hailed it as one of the goals of the season. In the 33rd minute, Van Persie completed his hat-trick with another assist from Giggs. United clinched their 20th league title and Sir Alex Ferguson clinched his 13th title with United. On 28 April, Manchester United travelled to the
Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacity ...
to face Arsenal. The home team gave United a guard of honour, but Van Persie received a torrid reception by his old fans. Arsenal scored first through a Theo Walcott goal in the second minute that was claimed to be offside. United scored at the end of the first half through a Van Persie penalty after the striker was fouled by
Bacary Sagna Bacary Sagna (born 14 February 1983) is a French former professional footballer who played as a right back and is mostly known for his time at Arsenal. He also played for the France national football team. Sagna's former manager at Arsenal, ...
. Both teams had chances to score in the second half but neither did and the score finished 1–1. United then faced Chelsea at Old Trafford, recording their third-straight defeat to the Blues in the season after losing 1–0, courtesy of a Phil Jones own goal. A week later, Sir Alex Ferguson managed his last game at Old Trafford against Swansea. United took the lead through Javier Hernández, but conceded a strike from
Michu Miguel Pérez Cuesta (born 21 March 1986), known as Michu (), is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker or attacking midfielder. He started playing for Real Oviedo, subsequently representing Celta and Rayo Vallecano, ...
in the 52nd minute. Quite oddly, it was Rio Ferdinand who scored the winner with three minutes to go, smashing home a Van Persie corner. Ferguson retired with dignity as he and his team received their medals. Ferguson's last game in charge was against West Brom at The Hawthorns, taking a 5–2 lead with ten minutes to go. But they failed to hold on and conceded a 5–5 draw, setting a record for the first match in the Premier League for both teams to score five goals each.


FA Cup

United entered the FA Cup at the Third Round stage with the other Premier League clubs, as well as those from the Championship. The draw was made on 2 December 2012, with the ties taking place on the weekend of 5–6 January 2013. United was drawn in an away match against West Ham United. The game ended in a 2–2 draw which meant United had to play against West Ham United again, this time at Old Trafford on 16 January 2013, beating them 1–0 in the process. The draw for the Fourth Round took place on 6 January 2013, and gave United a home match on 26 January against
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
, which United won 4–1. The draw for the Fifth Round took place on 27 January 2013, and gave United another home match, this time against fellow Premier League club Reading. The game which was played on 18 February 2013 gave United a 2–1 win. The draw for the Sixth Round took place on 17 February 2013, and gave United another home match, this time against fellow Premier League club Chelsea. The game which was played on 10 March 2013 ended in a 2–2 draw which meant United had to play against Chelsea again, this time at
Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...
on 1 April. The game finished with United losing 1–0, meaning that United were knocked out, with Chelsea proceeding to face Manchester City in the semi-finals.


League Cup

As one of seven English clubs who qualified for European competition in the 2011–12 season, United received a bye to the Third Round of the League Cup. The draw took place on 30 August 2012, with United being paired with fellow Premier League club
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
. United defeated Newcastle 2–1 on 26 September. Later that day they were drawn against Chelsea for their Fourth Round match. A game they lost 5-4


UEFA Champions League


Group stage

Having finished in the top three in the league last season, United began their Champions League campaign in the group stage. Courtesy of their
UEFA coefficient In European football, the UEFA coefficients are statistics based in weighted arithmetic means used for ranking and seeding teams in club and international competitions. Introduced in 1979 for men's football tournaments, and after applied in wome ...
, they were seeded in Pot 1 for the draw, which took place in
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
on 30 August 2012. United were drawn into Group H, along with Braga of Portugal, Turkish champions Galatasaray and Romanian champions CFR Cluj. Manchester United were previously drawn with Galatasaray in both 1993–94 and 1994–95, while Braga and CFR Cluj were new opponents. United ensured qualification into the knockout stage on 7 November when they won away at Braga by a score of 3–1. United fell behind early in the second half when Braga was awarded a penalty as the result of a Jonny Evans challenge.
Alan Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' *A ...
converted the penalty in the 49th minute to put the home side ahead. The match was halted for approximately 12 minutes due to the floodlights going out. When play resumed,
Robin van Persie Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Van Persie was known for his excellent technique and ball co ...
tied the match in the 80th minute with a long-range strike. United were then awarded a penalty in the 85th minute, which
Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while als ...
successfully converted. Javier Hernández then put the game away in stoppage time. With top spot in the group secured United, fielding younger squads, lost both of their final matches 1–0 to Galatasaray and CFR Cluj.


Knockout phase

The draw for the round of 16 was made in Nyon,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, on 20 December 2012. The first leg was played on 13 February 2013 away from home, and the second leg was played on 5 March 2013 at Old Trafford. As winners of their group, United were drawn against defending Spanish league champions,
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
, who finished as runners-up in Group D. It was fifth tie between the two famed clubs and the first time they have faced one another since
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
when Real Madrid won the quarter-final tie 6–5 on aggregate. This also marked the first time United faced
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
since selling him to Madrid in 2009 for a record £80 million. In the first tie, United drew 1–1 away from home thanks to a goal by Danny Welbeck. In the second tie, United lost 2–1 at home to Real Madrid after a red card was handed to United player Nani for going in with his foot at chest height in the 56th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo scored against his former club in both ties.


Squad statistics

Statistics accurate as of 19 May 2013


Transfers


In


Out


Loan out


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2012-13 Manchester United F.C. season Manchester United F.C. seasons English football championship-winning seasons
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...